The present disclosure relates generally to processing of imaging system data and, more particularly, to a system and method for processing medical images in real time using a commercially available, off the shelf processor(s).
Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are ubiquitous in modern health care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.
Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic and imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems and nuclear medicine systems. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, physiological systems, and so forth. Health care institutions often dispose of several such imaging systems at a single or multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon such resources as required particular patient needs.
Modern medical diagnostic systems typically include circuitry for acquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable form, which is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features of interest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processing circuitry is often referred to as a “scanner” regardless of the modality, because some sort of physical or electronic scanning often occurs in the imaging process. The particular components of the system and related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities due to their different physics and data processing requirements.
For example, radiography is the technique of producing an image of any opaque specimen by the penetration of radiation, such as gamma rays, x-rays, neutrons, or charged particles, for example. When a beam of radiation is transmitted through any heterogeneous object, the radiation is differentially absorbed depending upon varying object thickness, density, and chemical composition. The emerging energy from the object forms a radiographic image, which may then be realized on an image detection medium, such as a radiation sensitive detector having an array of elements that generate a signal output depending on the level of radiation absorbed, the detector signal output being converted into a voltage for exciting display pixels. As radiography is a non-destructive technique for testing the gross internal structure of an object, it is conventionally used in both medical and industrial applications. More specifically, radiography is used to detect medical conditions such as tuberculosis and bone fractures, as well as to non-destructively detect manufacturing imperfections in materials such as cracks, voids, and porosity.
Regardless of the imaging modality, the conventional processing techniques are generally implemented with application specific processors that are configured for specific system components. This design makes such processing systems expensive to purchase and operate. Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to process data from medical imaging systems at a lower cost such as through commercial off the shelf hardware and/or software.